Automatic brake adjuster



Jan. 10, 1950 F. NEAL'E, 2, 3

AUTOMATIC BRAKE ADJUSTER Filed June 19, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 10, 1950 F. NEALE AUTOMATIC BRAKE ADJUSTER 3 She ets-Sheet 2 Filed June 19, 1945 Jan. 10, 1950 F. NEALE 2,493,993

AUTOMATIC BRAKE ADJUSTER Filed June 19, 1945 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 i 4 1 1h ll Patented Jan. 10, 1950 OFFICE 2,493,993 AUTOMATIC BRAKE ADJUSTER Fred Neale, Coventry, England Application June 19, 1945, Serial No. 600,283 In Great Britain July 6, 1944 2 Claims; (o1. 188-.79-5) This invention relates to mechanisms of the types exemplified in wheel and transmission brakes in which one or more brake shoes or friction members carried by a stationary part are adapted to be moved into frictional engagement with a rotatable part, such 'as a drum.

In mechanism of the type referred to means for limiting the operational movements of brake shoes and their operating means have become desirable to prevent the necessity for adjustment due to many factors including varying conditions of heat, the limitation of permissible movement of one or more prime moving elements of a brake shoe operating means, a tendency of a brake shoe to drag in its drum after application means thereof have been retracted, faulty brakeshoe adjustment, faulty operation of automatic means of adjustment and wear of parts particularly the frictional surfaces of brake shoe and drum.

The present invention has for its principal object the provision of an improved automatic adjusting device between a brake shoe and its carrier and between the brake shoe and its operating means whereby the operational movements of thebrake shoe operating means are automatically constrained within predetermined limits and an adequate clearance between the drum and the brake shoe in its retracted position is assured.

A further object of this invention is to reduce to a minimum the amount of fluid required to operate brakes utilizing fluid pressure for their application, and means accordingly are provided by the application of automatic means of adjustment whereby the amount of movement of certain brake shoe application parts, such as pistons, is restrained within predetermined limits.

. igure 1 is a front view partly in section, of brake mechanism of the kind herein referred to embodying thexpresent invention.

Figure 2 is a view, also partly in section, of the same at right angles to Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows a sectional view of an automatic means of adjustment used between the brake shoe and its operating means, and a sectional view of a combined unit comprising a means of automatic adjustment and a lost motion means used between the brake shoe and its carrier.

Referring to the drawings, :2 represents a rotatable drum and 3, 3 the brake shoes, which are pivoted at 4, 4 in a stationary carrier 5, and are adapted to be moved into frictional engagement with the drumby means to be described and to be retracted and maintained out of such engagement by springs 8, 8 anchored at their ends to the brake shoes and brake shoe carrier respectively.

mean b ...w i1s:1i th brake shoes are moved about their pivots into frictional engagement with the drum may, as shown, consist of a cam l which is rotatably mounted in a bush 8 having a rectangular hole slidably engaging a squared portion I l of a shaft I I fast in a housing 5 in the carrier 5 to permit of lateral movement of the cam for equ'alising the pressures of the brake shoes on the drum, adapted to be rotated by a shaft 9 carried rotatably in the housing 5 through an Oldham coupling l0, and further adapted to impart rectilinear movement to pistons l2 relative to the housing 5 carrying them thereby actuating levers l3 carried rotatably in the housing 5 and adapted to move the shoes 3 to the drum 2 through the medium of automatic means of adjustment, to be described, carried by the shoes 3.

Pistons l2 in their retracted positions abut the housing 5 and may be moved therefrom to apply the shoes 3 to the drum 2, alternatively or additionally, as shown by fluid pressure admitted to the housing 5 and between the pistons l2 and shaft 9 being as at 3|.

Automatic means of adjustment between the levers I3 and shoes 3 may, comprise a ratchet shaft l5 carried by and adapted to slide in the housing M, which is screwed into the shoe 3. Under the resilient pressure ofthe spring l6 abutting the cap 21, which is screwed on the housing M, the shaft I5, against the resistance of the ratchet segments l1, normally held in engagement therewith by a spring I8, is adapted to slide towards the lever l3. The

segments ll which are also carried in the housing M are restrained from substantial axial movement therein by abutment on the housing l4 and a nut 50 screwing therein.

This arrangement provides an automatic oneway take-up device and is such that as theratchet shaft I5 is urged through the ratchet segments I! by the spring I6 towards the lever I 3 the segments are moved radially outwards against the spring l8 and such movement of the ratchet shaft I5 is, restrained by abutment of the'lever l3 on the piston I2.- Axial movement of the ratchet shaft IS in a direction opposite to that referred to is constrained to that necessary to cause abutment between the perpendicular faces of theco-operating ratchet teeth of the shaft [5 and segments ll. Thus, aswear' 'of the brake'frictional surfaces occurs and the shoe 3 in its retracted position recedes further from the centre of drum rotation; the automatic extensible characteristics of the means described are such that as the piston I2 is retracted to its stop in the housing 5 thereby or drum is positively maintained below a certain amount; ii I Means for constraining operational movements provided with sealing means i as shown in Figure 3,-

in combination with other means, and as'the extension of length of the adpositively irretractile, the pisof the brake shoes 3 between predetermined limits regardless of wear of the frictional surfaces may, according. to this invention, be, where automatic means of adjustment, as described, are combined with retractable means of abutment, be

tween the shoe 3 and carrier 5, such as is shown in Figure 3 where the ratchet shaft 55, carried by the housing 54 screwed in the shoe 3 and cooperating with resiliently restrained radially: outwardly movable segments 51. which are. also restrained from substantial axial movement be.-

tween abutments on the housing 54 and its associated nut 29, carries an abutment element 21. I

which is adapted to be urged towards abutment with the'stop 30 of manually adjustable meansv associated with the carrier by the spring, 22. The spring 22' is more heavily loaded than. thespring55 which: is loaded by the cap 59 screwing into the housing 55 to urge the ratchet shaft, 55 through ratchet segments 5 which are urged radially into ratchet engagement therewith by the spring 58. The spring 22 also urgesthe abutment element 2t to abutment with. the cap 53- screwing into an extension of the ratchet shaft 55, the abutment element 21 being further adaptedto be urged to an abutment on the ratchet shaft 55 by the pressure exerted on it by the stop 30 as the shoe is forced thereto by retraction springs 6, which are adequate to overcome all resistance to shoe retraction when the application pressure thereonhas been released.

Thearrangement is such that as long as the operational movements of the shoe 3 are below a certain amount no irretractile movement of, the. ratchet shaft 55 occurs relative to the ratchet segments 51, but the shoe 3 in its movement'fromcontact with the drum toits retracted position must move the abutment element2l from abut.- ment on the cap 53 to abutment on the: ratchet shaft 55 after the co-operating perpendicular faces of the ratchet teeth of the shaft 55 and segments 5! have abutted. When the shoe; 3. is moved towards the drum, 2 from its'retracted position the abutment element 2| is. first moved from its abutment on the ratchet shaft 55 to its abutment on the cap 53 by the spring 22- thereby permitting the spring 56 to urgethe ratchet shaft; 55'through the ratchet segments 51, as described, so that after sufiicient wear of the brake fric.-.-

tional surfaces has occurredthe. movement ofv the:

shaft 55 through the segments 51 issufficientifor the ratchet action to. occur thereby preventingv the shaft 55 fromretracting to its original. position relative to the segments 51 and extendin the distance from. the frictional surface of the shoe to. the abutment. of the element. 2| onthe ratchet shaft55. This reduces the distance-to be retracted by the shoe, but the amount. of retrac-- tion of the shoe 3. from its: contact with the drum must: be that necessary to move theelement 21 fromtheabutment or cap 53 tov the abutment. or ratchet shaft 55 thereby assuring clearance between. the fully retracted shoe 3, and the drum 2 From the foregoing it will be seen. that a brake having the improved characteristics herein described is perpetually maintained in adjustment without recourse to manual attention during the life of the brake shoes or their frictional liningsregardless of which source. of operating power is used or of the degree of unequal wearof the braking surfaces.

I claim:

1. In a brake mechanism, a brakeshoememher, and a cooperating brake member, one-ofsaidi members being provided with an axially bored portion relatively immovable with relation to said member, the bore of said portion being; counterbored to a larger diameter fora part-of its length, in combination with a nut screwing into the eounterbored part of said bore, said nut having a bore therein coaxial with the bore of said portion, an axially movable hollow plunger formed with an-internal abutment and having external ratchet teeth and slidably mounted in the bores of'said portion and nut and having an operative end extending from said nut and operatively engaging the other said member, a compression spring within said plunger, a cap secured to said bored portion and compressing saidspring between its. inner face and theopposed face-ofsaid abutment tourge. said. plunger into engagement; with said other member,. a plurality of. annnlarlg arranged axially extendingratchet segments-dis.

posed: in. the; counterbored' part of: said: bore: around said. plunger for cooperation with the ratchet teeth of said plunger; said nut limiting. axial movementof said segments", and aradially expandible coil. spring disposed coaxially about said. ratchet segments and resiliently urging; said. segments radially inward into operative engage: ment with the ratchet teeth of said plunger;

2. In a brake mechanism, abrake. shoe member, anda cooperating. brakemember, incornbination with an axially bored body mounted. ononeof said members, the bore, ofv saidibodyhaving an. enlarged portion at. one; end thereof; a. nut. screwing into. the enlarged portion of" saidbore, said nut having a bore therein coaxial with the bore of said body, an axially movable hollow plunger formed with an internal abutment. and. having I external ratchet teeth and slidably mounted in the bores of said body and said nut. and having an operative end extending'from said nut and operatively engaging theother said member, a compression spring within-said plung-- er, a cap screwing on said bodyand compressing said spring between its: inner face and the op-- posed face of said abutment to urge saidplunger intoengagement with said: other member, a plurality: of annularlyarranged axially extending ratchet segments disposed in the enlarged pore tionofsaid'bore of-sai d body for cooperationwith the teeth ofsaid plunger, said nut limiting axial movement of said segments, and a radially ex pandibl'ecoil-spring disposed coaxially'about said segments and urging said segments'radially inward into operativeengagementwith the ratchet teeth of said plunger.

nameless, crren.

l hefollowing references are ofrecord' inthe iile'of this patent:- V

, UNITED sures-manure Number Name 7 Date 1,900,791 Brice Z i. Mar; 7,1933 2,051,920 Turgot g- Aug. 25, 1936 2,057,749 Tatter Oct. 20, 1936 2,152,041 Goepfrich"; Mar, 28, 1939 2,175,446 Rasmussen et al. Oct, 10, 1939 2,205,889 Mab'rito- June 25, 1940' 2,222,858 Ryan" NOV; 26, 1940 FGREIQN PA 'rEN-Ts,"

Number Country 7 5 Date- France Nov; 14; 1-932 .vssno 

